Fisher Cats flirt with shutout in Friday night victory

READING, P.A — The New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, flirted with a shutout in a 7-1 victory over the Reading Fightin’ Phils on Friday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Starting right-hander Chad Dallas (7-2) threw seven shutout innings, allowed three hits, no walks and equaled his career-high with 11 strikeouts to earn the win. The last time the Blue Jays No. 14 prospect struck out 11 batters in a game was on April 11 vs Tri-City while with High-A Vancouver in his first start of the season. The 23-year-old has punched out 10 or more Reading hitters in his last two starts against the Fightin’ Phils.

Devonte Brown drove in a game-high three RBI within the first five innings with an RBI double in the third, his first Double-A RBI, before hitting a two-run homer to left-center in the fifth for his first Double-A homer. Brown was promoted from High-A Vancouver on Tuesday.

New Hampshire (22-30, 57-63) broke the game open in the eighth with four runs across on five hits. Will Robertson added to the lead with an opposite-field RBI single to bring home Alan Roden. Robertson extended his hit streak to seven games, matching his season-long, while Roden collected a game-high three hits on the night.

One batter later, Trevor Schwecke tripled in a pair with a fly ball to center field, his first triple of the season. Phil Clarke brought home Schwecke with an RBI single to give New Hampshire its largest lead of the game 7-0 after the eighth inning.

T.J. Brock threw a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts before Reading (26-29, 54-69) eventually scored its first run of the game on a sac-fly by Rixon Wingrove off Adrian Hernandez. Hernandez ended the night by punching out his second batter of the ninth in Casey Martin.

The Fisher Cats continue their 12-game road trip and their six-game series against the Reading Fightin’ Phils tomorrow at 6:45 pm. RHP Luis Quinones (4-4, 5.02 ERA) will get the start for New Hampshire against LHP David Parkinson (8-5, 3.74 ERA) for Reading.

The final home stand of the regular season for the Fisher Cats begins on Tuesday, September 12 against the Somerset Patriots. Promotions for the week include 2000s Night Thursday, presented by NH Healthy Families and postgame Atlas Fireworks, Copa de la Diversion night Friday, Rock N’ Roll Night Saturday with a mystery bobblehead giveaway, presented by Delta Dental, and Fan Appreciation Day Sunday with Kids Run the Bases Postgame, sponsored by the N-H Liquor Commission Division of Enforcement!

Tickets are available at NHFisherCats.com, via email at [email protected], over the phone at (603) 641-2005, or in-person at the Fisher Cats box office at 1 Line Drive in Manchester.